Thursday, September 8, 2016

Comics Rant: All Star Batman #1

A new Batman #1?!? Huh. DC must be getting desperate for sales that they have come all the way down to the Marvel sales tactic. We get a new Batman title and since JRJR is drawing it, you know what that means. Price hike. Hey, the guy's gotta eat. And by eat I mean the best damn steak New York has to offer!!! Ahem. But we get two stories in this issue, the main Batman story with a newly returning Two Face and a back up nobody asked for with that kid Duke, who's the new Bat sidekick named Freewheel or Wheeler or something like that. Don't ask me, I don't care to be honest.

The issue starts offwith Two Face dropping acid rain on the city of Gotham. I'm pretty sure that's how you ruin the plants and soil. Which might be what Two Face is going for. Two Face issues a statement to the city telling all the bad guys that he's got lots of dirt on them. If they don't want their deepest and darkest secrets out there for the whole world, they'll kill Batman and then not only will their secrets stay just that, but they'll also get filthy rich when Two Face wires them a few billion dollars to them.

Batman is flying across the state with Two Face locked up when a rocket shoots down the Batplane. They never get into why here, but fucking Alfred is the one who does it. My only guess it that Alfred is the real killer of Batman's parents. Not saying it's true but it is plausible. With Bats and Two Face grounded, Firefly and Killer Moth attack it. You know the drill. They both got their asses handed to them by the Dark Knight.

Bonus markdown moment when Black Spider joins the fray to collect said money. Hey, say what you will but I've been a big Black Spider fan going back to the Moench/Jones days back in 1995. If you don't know what that means, then look it up, because it's comic book gold. So yeah, Black Spider = cool. But cool or not, he still gets beaten up by Batman. Natch.

Just when you think Bats is out of the clear, the locals from the area start shooting at him. They want the money, too. 'Cause of the whole "change our lives for the better" deal they keep shouting. Batman manages to steal one of the local's trucks and handcuffs Two Face to the back and they make a break for it.

Great seeing John Romita, Jr. drawing Batman. His Superman looked nice but I always felt that his real calling was with Batman. Nice to see before he hung up his pencils that he took the Dark Knight out for a spin for other than just a pin up. Also, nice of him to bring the Amazing Spider-Man team with him. Could we get Dan Slott on Batman? Is that too much to ask for? In this day and age, yes. But interesting story, not sure it's fleshed out all the way but it'll get there. I hope.